Easy Lemon Shortbread Recipe with Optional Icing

This shortbread dough only just comes together, resulting in a deliciously crisp shortbread. The icing here is totally optional, they are just as moreish without the icing. I hope you enjoy them.

Makes: 12 Biscuits
Takes: 30 Minutes, 1hr if icing
Level: Easy
Scroll down for step-by-step images

INGREDIENTS:

Shortbread:

225g Plain Flour
60g Caster Sugar
Zest of 1 Lemon
150g Butter, I use salted, but please use unsalted if you prefer, cubed

Lemon Icing:

50g Icing Sugar
1tbs Lemon Juice
1tsp Lemon Curd, optional

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 180 fan.
Line a 20x20cm baking tray with grease-proof paper.
In a large mixing bowl, rub together the sugar and lemon zest using your fingers. This helps to release the fragrance and flavour from the zest.
Add the flour to the sugar, mix with a spoon until combined.
Add the cubed butter to the bowl, rub the ingredients together using your fingers until at first breadcrumb consistency is formed, and then mould into a dough. Once a rough dough is formed stop working the dough, overworking the mixture with produce a tough shortbread.
Transfer the dough into the lined baking tray, pressing out evenly.
Using a sharp knife, score the shortbread into 12 even pieces. This will make cutting it once cooked a lot quicker and easier.
Bake the shortbread in the pre-heated oven for 20-22 minutes, until the top is colouring slightly.
Remove the shortbread from the oven, then remove the shortbread from the tray carefully as it will still be soft. Place on a heatproof surface and using a sharp knife, cut the shortbread along your score marks. Creating 12 shortbreads. you can of course cut this however you choose!
Very carefully transfer the shortbreads to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the icing, in a small bowl of jug, combine the icing sugar and lemon juice, mix well with a teaspoon of tiny whisk until the icing is free of lumps.
It is optional to add 1tsp of lemon curd here, I like to because it makes the icing super zingy and fresh, but it is still delicious without.
Once the shortbread is completely cooled, ice each biscuit.
These will keep for a few days in an air-tight container.

STEP-BY-STEP:

Prepare your ingredients, Pre-heat oven to 180 fan, and
line a 20x20cm baking tray with grease-proof paper.

In a large mixing bowl, rub together the sugar and lemon zest using your fingers. This helps to release the fragrance and flavour from the zest.

Add the flour to the sugar, mix with a spoon until combined.

Add the cubed butter to the bowl, rub the ingredients together using your fingers until at first breadcrumb consistency is formed, and then mould into a dough. Once a rough dough is formed stop working the dough, overworking the mixture with produce a tough shortbread.

Transfer the dough into the lined baking tray, pressing out evenly.
Using a sharp knife, score the shortbread into 12 even pieces. This will make cutting it once cooked a lot quicker and easier.
Bake the shortbread in the pre-heated oven for 20-22 minutes, until the top is colouring slightly.

Remove the shortbread from the oven, then remove the shortbread from the tray carefully as it will still be soft. Place on a heatproof surface and using a sharp knife, cut the shortbread along your score marks. Creating 12 shortbreads. you can of course cut this however you choose!
Very carefully transfer the shortbreads to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the icing, in a small bowl of jug, combine the icing sugar and lemon juice, mix well with a teaspoon of tiny whisk until the icing is free of lumps.
It is optional to add 2tsp of lemon curd here, I like to because it makes the icing super zingy and fresh, but it is still delicious without.

If you enjoyed these shortbreads, why not try these RASPBERRY & DARK CHOCOLATE MUFFINS or CHOCOLATE ORANGE COOKIES next!